We review the big Mate X e-bike by Mate.bike

When 31,000 backers sink $24 million into a Danish e-bike, you want to ride it to understand why.

The Danish-designed crowdfunded Mate X eBike.

When 31,000 backers sink $24 million into an e-bike, you want to ride it to see what the attraction is. That’s why I have spent time aboard a Mate X, a solidly built Denmark developed e-bike that‘s both a city commuter and off-road adventurer.

It’s the brainchild of brother and sister Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrøm Carton who formed Mate.bike in Copenhagen in 2016. The Mate X is their second crowd-funding campaign on Indiegogo and ranks as one of Europe’s most successful.

The Mate X e-bike on the bike path to the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

There’s two main versions of the e-bike – the Mate X 750 with a 750 watt motor designed for off-road and the Mate X 250 with a 250 watt motor for public road use. Both have a rear-hub motor, and the minimum range is 55km range on a single charge. You can opt for a bigger battery and a bigger range.

The bike has Tektro disc brakes front and back, it’s 103cm long and with its 4-inch fat tyres is a big bike, kind of a step down from a motor scooter.

If you want to be noticed, this is definitely the bike. I spent part of Saturday riding from Erskineville in Sydney’s inner west through the CBD and across the Sydney Harbour Bridge to North Sydney and Luna Park. People were staring at it all the time. Pedestrians asked me questions en route too.

Siblings Christian Adel Michael and Julie Kronstrøm Carton formed Mate.bike.

Despite its size this bike is designed to be ridden by people of all heights. It’s one size fits all. You adjust the handlebar height, as well as seat height. Mate.Bike nominates riders to be at least 16 years old.

Basic operation is like many e-bikes. It has 8-speed Shimano gears; you rotate the right handlebar grip around to change gear. You manage the bike from a display on the handlebars; you can choose five levels of assistance, there’s a walk assist function which proved useful when walking this 26kg bike up the ramp on the North Sydney side staircase to the bridge. There’s also a thumb throttle which gets you off the mark quickly.

This bike has excellent suspension and riding is smooth. Mate.bike describes it as the Tesla of e-bikes which is great marketing however the bike is noisier than a Tesla; the motor has a distinct growl somewhat like an old tram’s but at much reduced volume. People at least know you are coming. If they don’t, the bike has a very loud electric horn that leaves no doubt.

Test riding the Mate X in North Sydney.

The heaviness of this bike means riding takes on a solid-sturdy feel rather than an agile one as you’d experience on a lighter e-bike, although the motor kicks in quickly and feels powerful. You rocket along quickly.

The heaviness became an issue when starting off at traffic lights riding uphill, as happened as I rode through the CBD. The first pedal cycle has to be very firm so that you don’t lose momentum taking off; as I said, the alternative is to quickly flick the throttle.

I also noticed that this bike has higher clearance. I measured the distance from the ground to the crank arm connection point. On this bike it’s 35cm, on my regular Valk e-bike it is 29cm. Given that your feet need to touch the ground when stopping, the distance between the seat and pedals is less. The result is that my legs are slightly more bent riding the Mate X.

Both front and rear lights are wired in, so you don’t need separate battery operated lights, although there’s nothing stopping you adding extra lighting and wiring it up like a Christmas tree for extra safety. Most bikes I have used had only a front light wired to the electrics, so to include the back lights is a step up.

The Mate X e-bike

The backlight has indicator lights at the edges for turning left or right. That’s very cool. There’s even a USB port for recharging your phone as you go.

The battery fits inside the frame. It can be removed without too much trouble, but you don’t need to do this for charging.

The Mate X can easily be folded into two for travelling; again my caution is the weight; you may need a friend to help you lift it in and out of the boot. It’s also not the sort of bike you can easily carry up a couple of flights of stairs to your apartment. Luckily, it fitted into the apartment lift.

I’d want to carry a spare tube and tool kit with this big bike so you are not left wheeling it home if you have a flat tyre. Mate.bike says the tires are puncture resistant but it’s best to be prepared.

Mate.bike is not brand new to Australia; Mr Michael says the start-up has already sold 500 bikes here over four years through Indiegogo, but it now wanted to establish its brand in Australia properly.

Manufacturing will be in Denmark, China and Brazil.

The Mate X is available in Burnt Orange, Subdued Black, White Ice and Shocking Pink.

“We feel our brand, our bike, our whole universe suits very well with the lifestyle that is in Australia and Australia is also a market where the e-bike is becoming increasingly important,” Ms Kronstrøm Carton told The Australian.

Mate.bike offers good visual tutorials on how to assemble, fold, and use the Mate X. There’s also guidance on maintenance.

Mate.bike will need to convince Australians they can service bikes here and replace parts promptly. Mr Michael says Smartmotion Electric Bike retail outlets will handle servicing here. He says non-electrical parts can be serviced at any retail bike shop.

The Mate X comes in “burnt orange”, “subdued black”, “ white ice” and “shocking pink”.

Prices start at $2699. That’s double the price of my Valk and may put off some consumers. On the other hand, you can pay many thousands more for premium e-bikes. Mate.bike says you may have to pre-order for now due to the pandemic.

That the Mate X is a solid build, is foldable, fits all sized people and can be taken off-road might win you over. And you’ll be noticed, if my adventures are an indication.